Symposium, 21 Feb 2026

Embrace your heritage,

Embrace your myths and traditions,


There are voices to be heard and

stories to be shared through photography,

...and photography practice to be explored

through personal stories and feelings.

 

What's your story? Who are you?

 

 

  • The next symposium is scheduled to take place on 21 February 2026. (TBC)


Free participation: Entries open on 1 November 2025

Participants: Only if your work is selected or by invitation.

Deadline: 15 December 2025

 

All the details (TBC) will be available via the Symposium page, 1 November 2025

 

Complete the form below or email at events@chesterphotofestival.com 

 

Please select one option

 *
Name *
E-mail *
Organisation name
Phone
Abstract. No more than 200 words *
Message. (Please feel free to provide additional details.)
 
  •  


Free participation: Entries open on 1 November 2025

Deadline: 15 December 2025

 

All the details (TBC) will be available via the Symposium page, 1 November 2025

 

You can visit the Courses and Workshops sections for inspiration and possible guidance.

Ideally, your photography work should focus on myths, folklore, personal feelings, or memories explored through photography as a creative practice.

 

We hope that people will bring new and unexpected photography topics to discuss, as well as curiosities, problems, or questions that everyone will value. 

 

Here are a few examples of potential photography topics to be explored:

  • Re-imagining, imagining, familiarity, every day, the unknown, the new;

  • The missing object, objects together, misplaced object(s), unseen, staged or banal;

  • From afar, at a distance, distance, behind, shadows, colour, shape and time;

  • The narrative, the missing or incomplete image, the missing photograph;

  • Misrepresentation and misunderstanding;

  • The printed photograph as a physical object, the digital photograph as a virtual object;

  • Self-exploration. Who am I?

  • Artificial intelligence and the mechanical act of taking or reproducing a picture;

  • The possibility of creating a photograph without a meaning.

  • What if I create a photograph and someone else writes the artist's statement?

  • What if I create a photograph for an already written statement?

 

  • The theme will be announced on November 1, 2025.

  • We are particularly interested in works aligned with the Chester Photo Festival's vision and mission.

 

The symposium is expected to take place in the lecture theatre at Grosvenor Museum in Chester.